Head of AI is seeking exceptional leaders to join our network of fractional Heads of AI focused on supporting Private Equity and Investor-Backed businesses. Our mission is to help portfolio companies accelerate value creation through strategic AI adoption — embedding AI across operations, products, and decision-making to unlock growth, efficiency, and competitive advantage.
We work with organisations backed by Private Equity, Venture Capital, Family Offices, and Growth Equity investors, typically ranging from £20m–£500m+ in revenue. These companies are under pressure to deliver rapid transformation, scalable growth, and measurable returns. Our fractional Heads of AI partner with portfolio leadership teams and investors to design and execute AI strategies that directly impact EBITDA, operational leverage, and long-term enterprise value.
We are looking for individuals who combine deep technical fluency with board-level leadership, capable of guiding portfolio companies through the next era of generative and agentic AI.
We recognise that few professionals have led a full AI transformation within an investor-backed environment. Therefore, we seek leaders with proven experience in digital, data, or operational transformation who are now applying that expertise to AI-led value creation within portfolio companies. You understand how to translate investor ambition into operational execution — guiding organisations through the cultural, operational, and governance shifts required to unlock AI-driven performance.
Industry
Private Equity
Venture Capital
Investment Management
Alternative Investment Management
Family Office
Growth Equity
What We Are Looking For
AI-Driven Value Creation Leaders
Proven experience delivering transformation programmes that improved business performance through technology, automation, and data. Able to apply that experience to the generative AI era — helping portfolio companies unlock operational efficiency, scalable growth, and new revenue opportunities. Understands how AI initiatives contribute directly to EBITDA expansion, operational leverage, and enterprise value creation.
Able to translate investor strategy into execution plans across portfolio companies.
Deep Technical Fluency
Fluent in modern AI ecosystems including generative AI, agentic systems, AI copilots, and orchestration frameworks (e.g. LangChain, AutoGen, CrewAI). Understands how to combine traditional ML and analytics with emerging AI architectures to deliver measurable commercial outcomes.
Evolved beyond a purely data science or analytics focus — capable of bridging data infrastructure, AI productisation, and operational transformation. Able to lead technical reviews and guide delivery teams even if not coding daily.
Investor and C-Suite Communicators
Able to simplify complex AI concepts for CEOs, Operating Partners, Investment Teams, and Boards. Confident aligning AI initiatives with investor priorities such as value creation plans, operational efficiency, and growth strategies.
Comfortable presenting to portfolio company leadership and private equity stakeholders, translating AI investments into clear ROI, risk considerations, and strategic advantage.
Transformation and Change Leaders
Strong stakeholder engagement and ability to drive adoption across portfolio organisations. Skilled in mentoring internal teams, developing AI literacy, and building responsible AI practices.
Understands how to introduce human-in-the-loop systems, governance frameworks, and operational processes that enable sustainable AI adoption within fast-moving investor-backed environments.
Entrepreneurial Operators
Thrives in ambiguity and high-performance environments. Comfortable operating across multiple portfolio companies and adapting quickly to different business models and industries.
Curious about emerging AI tooling but pragmatic about implementation. Focused on delivering measurable outcomes through rapid experimentation, iteration, and operational execution.
What We Are Not Looking For
Legacy executives (e.g. ex-CTO/CDO/CIO) without hands-on AI or generative AI understanding.
Academic or research-focused professionals without applied commercial outcomes.
Technologists who lack leadership or transformation delivery experience.
Consultants who only advise but have not led execution or implementation teams.
Corporate-only leaders who struggle to operate in lean, fast-moving portfolio environments.
Desired Profile Summary
The ideal candidate will serve as a Fractional Head of AI / AI Value Creation Leader supporting Private Equity and Investor-Backed businesses. They will help portfolio companies design and execute AI strategies, transformation roadmaps, implementation plans, and governance frameworks that drive measurable business outcomes.
Candidates typically bring 10–20+ years of experience across AI, data, digital transformation, or product innovation, with a track record of translating technology into operational and financial impact.
They may come from roles such as Head of Data Science, Chief AI Officer, AI Strategy Lead, Digital Transformation Leader, or Value Creation Partner, and have evolved beyond technical model development into organisational transformation and strategic leadership.
Successful candidates combine technical credibility, operational execution capability, and investor-aware thinking, enabling them to guide portfolio companies through AI adoption that accelerates growth and value creation.
They embody an entrepreneurial, adaptable, outcome-oriented, and collaborative mindset, thriving in fractional engagements typically spanning 1–5 days per week across multiple portfolio companies.
We welcome applications from professionals passionate about helping investor-backed businesses harness AI responsibly and at scale to drive measurable value creation.